like the best campaign team ever...

If you can find me on Facebook, my status reads "Darren is loving his campaign team."
And truly I am. Not being actively involved in any extra-curricular pursuit this year has blessed me with the opportunity to hang out, sit back, and relax with people I never had the time to over the past two years. With them, it was always a little nod of acknowledgement to each other, a handshake, and a "Hi" and "Bye".

Unsurprisingly then, that these people have formed my campaign team for this year's elections.

• Elaine Koh (my most awesome better half)
  
• Eugene Goh
• Christina Chan
• Chee Beng Goh
• Matthew Wei
• Chullaka Hemachandra
• ....and of course unofficially, my biggest grassroots supporter....Siti Nurfatimah Ayuni

I called for an informal meeting at the Main Common Room yesterday just to go through some posters that had been designed for me. When I arrived, Eugene had arranged a set of four tables lengthwise to resemble a boardroom-like table. Haha.

Some ideas were thrown around. These included dressing me up as a superhero and walking around campus, painting Matthew's car orange, an A0-sized poster, composing a theme song, and a Spotlight shopping spree. I did have to remind them that candidates were only limited to spending $1000 for the campaign.

There were serious options put forward as well - focus groups, interest groups, responsive campaigning etc. Having said that, my Friday kicks off with a few meetings with the representatives of various cultural and religious groups on campus.

I don't have all the answers to everything so the best I can do is find out what people want and try my utmost best to action upon and deliver those promises.

Dunedin & a Dilemma

Moving to Dunedin wasn't easy!

Visa complications meant that I was delayed in my arrival. I finally arrived in the beginning of March, missed out on O-Week and missed out on the first week of classes. It was a very very daunting experience eventhough I had been to the country before.

On top of that, I wasn't aware of having to sort out insurance before I could course approve. Hence, my course approval process was delayed even further. Talk about being thrown in the deep end! What I went through was definitely an International Student's worst nightmare!


My first year was a rather subdued and quiet one. It took time to settle in. In high school, I was treated by my friends as one of them. In uni, I had to face the fact that I was different. I was treated differently and I found it difficult once again. It was difficult to integrate and be part of the local Kiwi student community. I didn't want to establish a whole new identity, I wanted to hold on as much to the person I was but yet I wanted fit in.

In my second year, I threw myself in the deep end and got involved in a leadership position with the Otago Malaysian Students' Association. I was president for two years and had an awesome time learning the ropes in managing a rather large student society. I made heaps of friends and contacts and it's now great to see some of them starting new societies or trying to keep some of them alive! It's a challenge, no doubt, but it's a wonderful experience.

Some of them have now graduated and are working but the memories that we shared function as a superglue that bonds us together. An OUSA Society Administrator Award and a Gold Award for cultural pursuits are testaments to my skills and abilities.

In such a short time here, I've been there and done that.

I want to share my experiences with all international students as I know how difficult things can be but there are ways of making your time here in Dunedin an enjoyable one.

And now I feel it's time that I effectively represented international students at this university....read on...

From Kuala Lumpur to Tokoroa

I was born and bred in Malaysia, very much a multicultural society. I grew up in a diverse household as every now and then, I had relatives from all over the world come to visit. I have siblings and cousins and in-laws based all over the world - Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, U.S.A, Australia, Namibia, England, Ireland, Dubai and the list goes on.

In 2003, after completing my high-school education in Malaysia, I left home to New Zealand as a participant on the American Field Service (AFS) intercultural exchange programme. I was randomly placed in the small town of Tokoroa and studied at Tokoroa High School for a year. Being away from home for the first time was definitely difficult but at the same time I knew I had to make the most of my experience.

The first few months were very very difficult. I missed home. I missed my family and I missed my friends. Living with a Kiwi family on a farm was an awesome experience but it was still difficult to feel completely at home. Tokoroa was a rural town and I came from a city back in Malaysia. Culture shock smacked me right in the face.

As the weeks went by, I made the most of every opportunity that came way in school to keep me busy. I played soccer for the school's senior boys' soccer team; took part in the national Sheila Winn Shakespeare for schools festival; milked cows, and so on.

I was exposed to local Maori traditions having been welcomed on to the school's marae through the formalities of the powhiri. There was also a large Pacific Island population in Tokoroa and through new friendships, I learned about their culture and history.


Being an exchange student was not all fun and games. I had to do my fair share of studying too. I took Geography to learn more about New Zealand. I had to undertake a massive project where I presented several proposals for the future of Tokoroa's skate-park. I was stoked when I found out the project was placed as runner-up in the Massey University national bursary geography project.

Towards the final few months of my stint as an exchange student, I changed host families and spent summer at Whitianga where I went fishing and pretty much lazed under the sun.

All in all, I had my fair share of both positive and negative experiences being away from home for the very first time. I know what homesickness feels like but I also do know that the best way to face it is to make the most of every moment you have.

I grew to love New Zealand and I knew that the only way to convince my parents to let me stay here was if I pursued some form of tertiary education.

What better place to choose, than the best student city in the world...Dunedin!

Welcome!

Kia Ora!
Welcome to votedarren.blogspot.com.
I suppose it's safe to presume that you visiting this blog indicates that you have an interest in the issues that concern the international student community here at the University of Otago.
I have an interest too and a keen interest at that.
As you may or may not know, I am running for the post of International Students' Representative at the OUSA Executive Elections which run through over the course of the next two weeks.
Over the coming week, I will post up my plans, policies and ideas I intend to implement if successfully elected as the next International Students' Rep. for 2008.
I will also keep you updated on key events througout the election period such as candidate debates and other exciting stuff of the like.
Feel free to post any comments, email me, or ask questions about what I can do for you.
My plans and policies are not set in stone and I am open to new ideas that you may have.
This is a democracy, so feel free to say anything here!
Anyways, I'm off to get my photo taken at Critic for the candidate blurb that appears in the Critic magazine either on Monday 13th or 20th of August.
Catch you later!